Assembly turns acrimonious

• Cong demands that TRS members follow decorum
• TDP moves privilege motion against KTR
• TRS turns heat on oppn; Ministers lead charge

Hyderabad: Telangana State Assembly on Wednesday witnessed acrimonious scenes on alleged violation of rules and procedures. Opposition feels that the government was bulldozing their democratic right by preventing them from expressing their views.

Leaders former Deputy Speaker Bhatti Vikramarka (Congress) and E Dayakar Rao (TDP) and K Laxman (BJP) expressed their displeasure over the government becoming intolerant to criticism.

According to Bhatti there was an urgent need to formulate and modify the rules pertaining to the functioning of Assembly and there was also need to train the ministers and the MLAs on various issues.

Referring to the manner in which the ministers and TRS members reacted 24 hours after TDP member A Revanth Reddy made a comment against Nizamabad MP K Kavitha, Bhatti Vikramarka said that it was the government which had derailed the proceedings of Assembly. While there was nothing wrong in seeking an apology in case someone feels that a member had violated the rules or made derogatory remarks, there should be a proper procedure, he suggested.

While the ministers and TRS leaders claim that they were well aware of the rules and procedures of Assembly, Bhatti said that he failed to understand why they took up the issue of TRS MP when the agenda before the House was general discussion on budget.

He also said that he did not understand how a TRS member Sunitha raised the issue under point of order. Point of order is raised if the House was not following the proper procedure in transacting the business that was before the House. The Speaker should have suggested the member to raise the issue in a different form, he said.

Similarly, the TRS member Konda Surekha was allowed to launch a scathing attack on Revanth Reddy. She denied the charges made by TDP member that MP K Kavitha had enrolled at two places during the Integrated Family Survey. Such issues should have been taken up during zero hour, the Congress leader felt.

While the major Irrigation Minister Harish Rao read out from Practice and Procedure of Parliament by Kaul and Shakdar, a provision that disallows a member to level personal allegations against a member or outsider purely based media reports, Dayakar Rao said it was unfortunate that the Chief Minister himself had criticised AP Chief Minister. KCR had made tall promises but had failed to implement even a single promise, he alleged. The AP Chief Minister is not present in the House and hence cannot defend himself. Hence as party leaders they tried to put the record straight but the IT minister K T Rama Rao called them as nominated members. Is that not a violation of the rules, they wondered.

Senior Congress MLAs and BJP floor leader Laxman said that the ministers made it a habit to deliver long lectures in the aname of intervention though it was not necessary. Every time an opposition member gets up to speak, the ministers were intervening, said Laxman.

Meanwhile, Revanth Reddy gave a notice of privilege against the IT minister K T Rama Rao for calling them as nominated members by Andhra Pradesh.